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Grave of a Gypsy Queen

Elizabeth Harrison was a bona-fide gypsy queen who died in 1895. Her body was placed in a holding vault for over six months as word of her impending burial was circulated to the scattered members of her tribe. She was finally interred on April 1, 1896, attended by about 50 gypsies and several thousand onlookers, who hoped to see the burning of the gypsy queen's wagon at her grave site. It didn't happen; the service was as understated as the queen's tombstone.

Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville was a traditional gypsy burial ground because Elizabeth's gypsy king husband once owned a substantial piece of land in the area. He followed her to the grave four years later, shot while trying to break up a fight between two of his sons.

Grave of a Gypsy Queen

In Oak Hill Cemetery, whose entrance is on the north side of Oak Hill Rd, four blocks north of Hwy 66 and two blocks east of US 41. The Harrison obelisk is in Section 23, near a Confederate statue. Take Central Drive in from the entrance, then continue on Evergreen Drive; the obelisk will be on the right.